New York, NY

May 2012

Is it any surprise that the pastry chef responsible for the inventive desserts of Momofuku Milk Bar had a near-obsession for cookie dough as a child? Growing up in Virginia, Christina Tosi was surrounded by relatives who loved to bake. When her mother cut her off from eating any more dessert batter, Tosi realized that she needed to learn to use the oven herself.

After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, Tosi worked the kitchens of Bouley and wd-50. Unexpectedly, Tosi’s collaboration with David Chang actually did not begin in the kitchen. Her first assignment for Chang was putting together a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point for use of a Cryovac machine. But soon after, she was cooking up delightful creations for Chang’s restaurants. When Momofuku Ssam Bar expanded, the Milk Bar was added with Tosi at the helm. At Milk Bar, Tosi morphs everyday pantry ingredients, such as cereal, potato chips, and pretzels, into addictive and creative sweets. There are now a handful of Milk Bar locations around New York. For her creativity, Tosi was nominated for the 2012 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award.